Players in the Plano East Senior High baseball program recently joined members of the Plano East Baseball Booster Club to prepare Rusty Franklin Field at Plano East for the upcoming high school baseball season.

“The young men in our baseball program have worked very hard in the off season to be ready to play at the highest level,” said Jordan Byrd, Plano East Baseball Head Coach. “The players and parents gave up their Saturday morning to help get our field and facilities in shape. We are confident and ready to take on any and all opponents in the 2021 baseball season.”

The Plano East Baseball season kicks off Saturday, February 6 with a Varsity scrimmage against Allen at 1:30 p.m. at Plano East. District play begins Wednesday, March 17 with a Varsity home game against Hebron at 7:30 p.m. at Plano East. This game is “Cancer Awareness Night” and will include a special tribute to those who are fighting cancer and those who lost their battle to cancer. 

The community is invited to come watch the Plano East Varsity team play Lovejoy at 6 p.m. Monday, March 8 in a special exhibition game at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, in Arlington. Admission and parking are free which makes this a great opportunity to see the new stadium while supporting the Plano East Panthers.

Special recognition nights at Plano East for the 2021 season include: Alumni Night Friday March 26; Teacher Appreciation Night Tuesday March 30; Administrators Appreciation Night Tuesday April 6; Feeder School Night Friday April 16 with a special appearance by Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere; Service Men & Women Night Tuesday April 20; and Senior Recognition Night Friday April 30.                                             

The Plano East Baseball program is under the direction of Head Coach Jordan Byrd; Assistant Varsity Coach Michael Martinez; Assistant Varsity Head Coach Shawn Redd; Assistant Varsity Coach John Lubow; JV1 Head Coach Ryan Mutsch; JV1 Assistant Coach Bo Slaton; JV2 Head Coach Greg Gleinser, and JV2 Assistant Coaches Ryan Henderson, Jason Leffler,  and Jonathan Gill.  

Rusty Franklin Field is located on the north side of the Plano East Senior High School campus at 3000 Los Rios Boulevard in Plano. Russell “Rusty” Franklin was an assistant principal and baseball coach at Plano East. He came to Plano in 1984 as an assistant coach in baseball and football. He took over as the Panthers’ head baseball coach in 1989, leading it for seven years with a playoff appearance in 1993. Franklin died in 2014.

Schedules, rosters and more information are online at planoeastbaseball.com. Fans are encouraged to follow Plano East Panther Baseball on FaceBook and Twitter.